Semua Bab The Moon Marked Him As Mine: Bab 11 - Bab 20

[Viktor’s POV]“Rest,” I said as I forced myself to leave the room and let Vladimir take care of Astoria.There was a more important matter to handle.‘Is Astoria alright?’ My father’s voice drifted through the mindlink. I clenched my jaw, wondering if it was only him asking or if there was any concern from Evelyn too.‘Better,’ I replied nonetheless.‘I am glad. Evelyn was worried,’ he said, genuinely sounding relieved.‘I am going to look into the breaching of the territory,’ I said before Dad could even say anything.‘Great, keep me updated,’ he said.I hummed before putting up my mental block, a feat that has kept me sane until now.Right. Rogues. I needed to put my mind in that matter, and not…Not the way Astoria’s heartbeat notched up when I stepped too close, or the way she had looked at me, terrified, yet refusing to back down.I exhaled sharply and strode down the corridor.But soon I was joined by my brother.“She is resting, so I thought of joining you,” he said when I gav

[Astoria’s POV]The next morning arrived far too quickly.I didn’t leave immediately, but stayed in bed for the next 10 minutes or so, wondering why I had thought that my mother would call me to her wedding out of love for me.‘She only wanted to show how much she cares for me so she can be high up in Matthew’s eyes,’ I thought unkindly. My eyes stung at the thought.The humiliation burned under my skin tenfold.I dressed quietly, choosing something simple, jeans, and a loose top. Like a device running on autopilot, I packed my stuff. I took nothing that I was gifted by the Romeros or my mother.However, it took significant effort on my end to take off the ornaments that Viktor and Vladimir had gifted me. My throat closed up as I stared at the velvet boxes that now sat neatly on the dresser.Letting out a shaky breath, I stepped out of the room and made my way downstairs.The house was quieter now, the aftermath of the wedding and my…accident still lingering in the air.I found Matthe

[Astoria’s POV]The following weeks blurred for me as I practically holed myself in my room. and applied to jobs endlessly, refreshing my inbox more times than I could count every half an hour, only to be met with same advert emails, silence, or rejection.Each day felt like a ticking clock. I had no friend to lean on, no family to go back to, and if things went this way, I would probably have no place to sleep or a stable phone connection by the next month.My flatmates didn’t care, and I was glad and too proud to ask them for help.However, one evening as I was thinking of whether I should just have some Saltines for dinner and call it a day, I heard a notification.An email stating I was selected for a remote position.It wasn’t ideal, but it paid well enough, and most importantly, I couldn’t afford to be picky.I instantly replied, and an interview was scheduled the next day.In that moment, I was hopeful about my future. At least, I won’t have to worry about the bills.That didn’

[Astoria’s POV]The sound of the wood splintering under a massive force was deafening enough to keep my senses from shutting down completely. My attacker’s head snapped toward the noise, his grip slackening just enough for me to gasp in a ragged breath.A blur of movement crossed the room, but I knew who it was even though my vision was still blurry.Vladimir.He wrenched the man out away from him, which had me crumbling on the floor like a ragdoll, gasping for breath.Vladimir hit the man with enough force to send both of them crashing to the floor, the impact shaking the furniture around us. I couldn’t keep track of them for a few moments as I tried to get hold of coughing as air rushed painfully back into my lungs, my entire body trembling.However, when I looked at them, every movement seemed as if I was watching a video on fast-forward.Without hesitation, Vladimir pinned the man down with brutal efficiency, his movements sharp, controlled, every strike deliberate and precise. Th

[Viktor’s POV]The next morning, Vladimir walked into my study, wearing a crisp blue button-down and gray trousers. “I knew you would be here. Couldn’t sleep?”“No, I just had some paperwork, so I came in early,” I lied, sorting through the stack of papers.I could feel my brother’s gaze on. He wasn’t going to rest easy until he could get Astoria back in the estate, but he didn’t know how dangerous that could be.He thought of her as a sister and probably saw me as the person who couldn’t accept someone as a half-sibling.I closed my eyes briefly.“Did you think of something?” He asked, and I knew what he was talking about.“About what?” I murmured as I glanced at the laptop screen.“You know very well what I mean.” Vladimir’s eyes blazed with muted anger.I gazed back at him. Silence followed, heavier this time.He let out a slow exhale as if to control his anger.“You stopped her at the beginning anyway,” he murmured. “You didn’t stop at anything.”My jaw tightened. “That was differ